The Splinter
by Wega the blue sun
Summary: Sherry and Brago have won another battle. But something's wrong with her ...don't read if you're squeamish!


The Splinter 

A Konjiki No Gash Bell (Zatch Bell) fan fiction

No copyright infringement is intended, these characters do not belong to me. This fic does belong to me, however.

Pairing: Sherry/Brago

Authors note: this is the first in a series of stories based on Sherry and Brago. While I really like both characters and like to read fan fics about them, I feel that most stories make either character too o/c. Both are tough fighters with their own agendas, and I frankly don't see either declaring their undying love to each other or anyone else for that matter. But that's just my opinion ...

The Splinter

They'd won another battle - not that the outcome had ever been in doubt, Brago thought.Their opponents never had a chance ...His desire to become king grew with each confrontation and he eagerly anticipated the next fight. Each mamodo defeated, each book burned meant he was so much closer to achieving his ultimate goal.

He laid back on the bed and allowed himself to relax for a moment. In his mind he revisited the battle and played through every move he had made. He could find no flaw, no wasted maneuver. He was getting stronger all the time.

Even his human partner had been in rare shape. Sherry had fought nearly as furiously as he had. Really, she'd come a long way since they first met. Back then she already had the drive and determination to fight, but her physical stamina and abilities were sadly below par. He'd put her through her paces, he thought, smiling at the memory. Oh, she'd tried to keep up with him but often gave out. He forgot how many times he had to save her, once he even had to carry her off the battlefield because she'd collapsed. How frustrating it had been knowing that she held him back ...it was a curse to have to team up with a weak human girl. But then he'd slowly realized that her obsession with ending the mamodo battles actually made her stronger. She'd toughened up and begun to pull her own weight. Not that she'd ever approach mamodo levels of strength and endurance, but she did her best and he would have to live with it. After all, without her help he wouldn't become king.

Once he knew that she wanted to free her friend Coco from the influence of the mamodo Zophise, whom Sherry regarded as evil, her motivation became clear. She was emotionally attached to the other human girl and felt called upon to save her friend. Poor humans, he mused, so confused, so emotionally needy ...mamodos weren't like that. Sherry had never understood that Zophise had only taken what already existed in Coco's heart and made it stronger. She stubbornly believed that her friend had been twisted by the mamodo. He knew better, of course. Mamodos always influenced humans, one way or another. It was the simple fact of a powerful character dominating a weaker one.  
Nevertheless, Sherry was able to gain strength from her dream of freeing Coco, and to achieve this she was willing to do anything, even team up with a hated mamodo. Her willingness to go all out had earned his grudging respect.

But what was keeping her now, he wondered. Right after they'd checked into their hotel room she'd slipped into the bath room and hadn't yet come out. He'd heard no water running or other noises coming from the room, so what was she up to? She'd seemed fine after the battle, just exhausted as always.

Just then the door opened and Sherry stepped out. She had washed her face and combed her hair, but still wore the same stained and torn dress. She gave him a quick glance, then sat down on the other bed. Brago closed his eyes again.

What to do now, the dark mamodo thought. He wasn't tired, so sleep was out of the question. Maybe he'd hunt for some food, the exercise would burn off some of his extra energy ...Rustling and squeaking sounds from the other side of the room interrupted his thoughts. He cracked an eyelid only to see his partner contorting herself on the other bed. She appeared to twist both arms over her head, trying to reach the back of her neck.

"What are you doing", he finally asked. Sherry shot him a quick glance, but didn't answer.A few more contortions, then she gave up."I can't button up my dress", she said. "Help me."

The request surprised him. She never really asked for help, so this aroused his suspicions. Normally she was able to handle her highly impractical garment, so what was the problem now?

He sat down next to her and the bed springs creaked again with the increased weight. Even human furniture was weak ... For a moment he hesitated, then brushed her long hair out of the way to get a better look. The silky strands wrapped themselves around his fingers and he impatiently untangled his hand. He saw that only the three uppermost buttons were undone. Beneath the stiff fabric of her dress he could see her pale skin which was covered with old and new bruises. And there was the edge of a stained stretch bandage visible. So she was injured, and had never told him. The fact that he'd never noticed angered him.  
"What's this", he asked. "From the last fight", she answered in a tired voice.

The bandage was spotted with blood and pale yellow stains. "Probably infected", he murmured. "This needs to come off, I need to see what's below." Sherry tugged the dress off her shoulders to give him better access. Leaning forward she braced herself with one hand against the mattress, with the other she held up the dress against her chest.

For a brief moment he caught a glance of her bare skin, a mere outline of one breast. His eyes widened. He'd never before seen her uncovered. Suddenly his throat was dry and the room seemed to grow warmer.

Beneath the bandage was a large swelling, with an oozing sore right in the middle of her back. "Just like I thought", he said angrily. "Why didn't you take care of this earlier? Don't you know that a bad injury will keep you from fighting your best?" She didn't reply, but he could feel her growing tense. Apperantly his earlier assessment of her improvement had been too optimistic, if she couldn't follow this basic rule ...

"Well, obviously I couldn't reach back there", Sherry replied sharply. "Now, are you going to help or not?"

"Looks like something's stuck in the wound", he grumbled, ignoring her question. "It'll have to come out before it really festers."

"How bad is it", she asked. "Maybe I should find a doctor ..." "No time for that", he replied. "I'll take care of it - that's what you wanted, right?" He walked into the bath room to get some supplies. A clean towel and a soapy wash rag were all he could find, they'd have to suffice.

"What are you going to use?" Sherry looked at him as he walked around her and sat down again. "You don't have any instruments!" "I don't need any", he snapped. "Now hold still!"

Sherry hung her head and braced herself for the inevitable pain. For some time she'd known that something wasn't right back there, but she just couldn't get herself to ask him for help. The fact that he was going to help surprised her - she'd expected a longer lecture on her inheirant weakness as a human.

Brago took a close look at the wound. A dark object was lodged in the flesh right below the skin. It didn't protrude, so he'd have to puncture the tender skin. No problem, he thought, that's what claws were for. He lightly brushed his fingers across the heated flesh. The touch raised goosebumps on her skin, and also on his. What a strange reaction, he wondered. Why was this affecting him? Better get this over with.

"Get ready" he commanded. Sherry gripped the bedcovers tightly and gritted her teeth. The pain was intense but she never made a sound. Brago was none too careful, she thought. Her eyes were tearing, but the pain subsided quickly. Oh, it felt so good to have this taken care of!

Brago was pressed the towel against her back to staunch the flowing blood He reached around the girl's back to show her the splinter. It was a nasty, jagged piece of dark wood and quite large.

"Gross", Sherry mumbled. "Jii put some bandaids and salve in my belt pockets", she reminded Brago. But he made no move to retrieve the items. "Lay down", he ordered. "Better wait for a while to bandage it up. We need to make sure all the infection is gone, otherwise it'll get bad again."

Sherry pulled up her dress and belly-flopped down on the bed. A little rest was just the right thing. She closed her eyes and fell asleep nearly immediately.

Brago tossed the soiled towels on the floor. Now he was her nurse, too? The things I do to become king, he thought as he watched the resting girl. She would be fine now, although a scar would certainly result. Almost a pity to mar that skin ...But scars were the reward of the warrior, he reminded himself. She'd have this forever as a reminder of their time together.

He turned to the window and took a deep breath of the cool night air. She was not the only one who had changed since they'd met, he had changed as well, he realized. Once the touch of human skin would have repulsed him - the mere presence of a human usually inspired loathing. But touching her now had been ...he wasn't sure what to call the feeling, but it wasn't an unpleasant one, even considering the circumstances. An image appeared in his mind. A smooth, rounded shape ... He shook his head to forcibly clear his mind. She was a brave warrior, bearing up under the pain ...and done better than he'd expected, he had to give her credit for that, too. Maybe he wasn't so cursed after all to have her as his team mate, it could have been worse. Like Folgore ...a book keeper like that would make him consider burning his own book in no time, he thought, a tiny grin curling his lips. Oh well, none of that mattered anyways. As long as he would be king, he'd do anything.


End file.
